Spring scrimmage #2

The Roadrunners were still a bit uneven with four turnovers, and seven possessions that netted 4 yards or less. But from the standpoint of explosive plays and total production, Saturday’s scrimmage at Farris Stadium was a far cry from last week’s outing, in which they manufactured only one field goal. UTSA found the end zone four times Saturday, overcoming a slow and sloppy start to amass a whopping 499 yards of total offense.

Wide receiver Earon Holmes — no stranger to strong scrimmage performances — led the way with five receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns, including a 65-yarder from Ryan Polite to get the Roadrunners going.

The top three quarterbacks all had their moments. Tucker Carter bounced back from a slow start to throw for 152 yards and a score, while Polite continued his strong spring with 142 yards and a TD. Incumbent starter Eric Soza added 79 yards and a TD.

Rounding things out was David Glasco II, who scored from 75 yards on his only carry of the morning. An extra bonus — it came between the tackles, an area of emphasis this spring, behind blocks from Cody Harris and Scott Inskeep.

UTSA would have had five touchdowns, but receiver Josiah Monroe, a former high school quarterback, underthrew Kenny Harrison, who was open by at least 10 yards, on a double pass.

“We had a lot of big plays on offense,” head coach Larry Coker said. “You can see the skill level coming along. We had really good quarterback play. We were more efficient than last week. Overall, I thought we took positive steps forward.”

While they were roughed up enough that defensive coordinator Neal Neathery conceded victory to the offense, UTSA’s defense also had its moments with the aforementioned turnovers: fumble recoveries by walk-on defensive end Jarron Harris and William Ritter (resulting from a poor exchange and a bad snap, respectively) and interceptions by Triston Wade and Jason Neill.

“We forced some turnovers today,” Coker said. “If we can do that (when it counts), we’ll win some games.”

Including the handful of three-and-outs, the defense has allowed only five scores (four TDs, one field goal) in 27 scrimmage possessions this spring. The Roadrunners won’t retake the field for full competition until the spring game on April 15 at the Alamodome.

* It was difficult to get a handle on the offensive line as bodies were rolling in and out all morning long. Several players saw time at multiple positions, including Patrick Hoog and Inskeep. Also seeing plenty of action was tackle Josh Walker, who was praised by offensive coordinator Kevin Brown earlier in the week.

* With no kickoffs or punts in scrimmages, there hasn’t been much emphasis on special teams. But the field goal team needs some work after having an attempt blocked (Kristian Stern, 35 yards, by Franky Anaya) for the second straight week.

* It was a strange morning for the quarterbacks. Despite the production, they combined to complete only 21 of 47 attempts. At one point they were 9 for 29, with a stretch of 12 straight incompletions.

More impressive were the TD throws to Holmes: Polite hit him in stride deep downfield on the 65-yarder, while Soza lobbed a perfect throw to the corner of the end zone, where Holmes had boxed out cornerback Malcolm Scott, from 25 yards. Carter also had several good completions, including a 19-yard laser to Marcellus Mack and a 49-yarder to Evans Okotcha on UTSA’s vaunted “Vanna White” play (so-called for the wheel route — Wheel of Fortune, get it? — out of the backfield).

* Linebacker is shaping up as perhaps the strongest unit on the team. Backups Cody Rogers and Blake Terry led the defense with six tackles apiece, while another reserve, junior college transfer Brandon Guerrero had two sacks.

* Coker said the pass protection was the best he’d seen yet at UTSA, which was kind of a head scratcher considering the Roadrunners yielded three sacks and five hurries. Some caviats: UTSA did attempt nearly 50 passes, and quarterbacks are whistled dead at first contact during scrimmages.